Emanuel Ax - Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 23 & 26 (1981/2018) [Hi-Res]

Born in Poland in 1949, Emanuel Ax moved with his family to Canada before settling in New York City in 1961. There, beginning in 1966, he studied piano with Mieczyslaw Munz at the Juilliard School of Music. He made a concert tour of South America in 1969; in the year that followed he completed a bachelor's degree in French at Columbia University and became an American citizen.

Ax had his New York recital debut in 1973, at Alice Tully Hall. In 1974, at the age of twenty-five, he took first place in the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv. A successful American concert tour was the result, along with numerous European appearances. He received the prestigious Young Concert Artists' Michaels Award in 1975, and the coveted Avery Fisher Prize in 1979.

An exclusive Sony Classical recording artist since 1987, Mr. Ax made his debut on this label with a collection of Chopin scherzos and mazurkas. He has won two Grammy Awards, both for recordings of the piano sonatas of Franz Joseph Haydn.

Devoted to chamber music, Mr. Ax regularly performs with artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Serkin, Young Uck Kim, and Jaime Laredo; the late Isaac Stern was also a frequent partner. These collaborations frequently result in widely acclaimed recordings and additional Grammy Awards.

In recent years Mr. Ax has developed an enthusiasm for twentieth-century music, including the works of Paul Hindemith, Aaron Copland, and others. He has given the premier performances of compositions by John Adams, Christopher Rouse, Bright Sheng, Melinda Wagner, and others. This growing interest in contemporary music has produced numerous commissions for new music and further additions to his acclaimed discography.

Emanuel Ax, piano

Digitally remastered